


Hug

by Issinder



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, also they kiss, this just sort of happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 03:04:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16673518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Issinder/pseuds/Issinder
Summary: Since he got manhandled by Omega in Sigmascape, Nero Scaeva has been prone to fainting spells. Argryss is not pleased with his friend trying to make light of the situation, but he's not the only one who's been underplaying something bubbling beneath the surface.





	Hug

Nero leaned against the wall, taking a moment to steady his breathing. One spell a day was already one too many, and two was just an unwanted decadence. His legs were still trembling and it was taking what little strength he had to stand upright.  
‘Nero?’  
Nero held up a hand, either to stop the Roegadyn from pressing further or to indicate he was okay really and not to worry. Of course, his friend was never one to listen to either meaning.  
‘Another one? That’s-’  
‘Not ideal I know, but don’t worry, dear. I’ll manage.’  
Argryss walked over to him.  
‘Rain when you’ve planned an outing is not ideal, this is not even close to ideal to warrant being worded like that.’  
‘I think I shall decide how to label my own affliction, but your feedback is appreciated,’ Nero noted drily.  
‘I only wanted-’  
‘We don’t always get what we want.’  
‘That… is true.’

Argryss swallowed a sassy comeback - now was really not the time - and leaned against the wall next to Nero. For a while, neither man spoke. Argryss threw his Garlean friend a few sidelong glances, apparently in thought. Then, he made up his mind.

‘Come here.’  
‘Pardon?’  
The tall Roegadyn stood in front of Nero, arms spread. An invitation. Nero found himself uncharacteristically short on words.  
‘I…’  
‘Don’t worry, I won’t squish you,’ Argryss joked, trying to put the other man at ease.  
‘I… didn’t think you would, but your assurance is appreciated.’

Nero took a tentative step forward, then another, then a third, closing the last few ilms between them, leaning his head on his friend’s chest. Two strong arms enveloped him, pulling him closer as Argryss gently placed his face against the Garlean’s hair. Something about the touch of another made Nero feel less weary, and he placed one hand on the Roegadyn’s chest, fidgeting with a string coming out of his shirt.  
‘You’re actually quite warm, you know.’  
‘And your hair smells of… I don’t rightly know. It’s very nice, Nero.’  
‘You smell of bread.’  
‘I do.’  
They remained like that for a while longer, each trying to remember when they’d last had a hug and being unable to identify when. They’d stop eventually.

Eventually.

‘You may let go of me if you wish.’  
Nero Scaeva was really enjoying this hug but braced himself for its inevitable end. Better now than later, not that he wished for it in any way.  
The Roegadyn simply said ‘noted’, but made no motion to break physical contact.  
‘Argryss…’  
‘Nero…’  
The hand on his upper back moved. Ah, Nero thought, there it is; the inevitable parting. A second later, the hand resurfaced, stroking his blond hair gently, the other hand still firmly gripping the small of his back. Perhaps even more firmly than before, but that could be dismissed as a fancy of the mind. His touch was surprisingly light for someone with hands that big and Nero closed his eyes for a bit, only to open them again a short while later and frown. Surely, this was more than just a friendly hug? He looked up at his friend’s face, ready to ask him exactly that, but the look he saw there made the words stick in his throat and the only noise he made was a short sort of high-pitched staccato grunt that made the taller man smile. It was a sweet smile, that was certain.  
‘Argryss, are you, by any chance, attracted to me in a more…’ Nero struggled with the next word, ‘...romantic sense?’  
Argryss looked away for a moment, then back to Nero. ‘Yes. I am.’  
‘...Oh. That’s… very flattering…’ The hand had moved from Nero’s hair to gently tracing the line of his jaw, starting at the ear and slowly working its way down through the Garlean’s ever-present stubble.  
‘Oh, goodness.’ Nero’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t experienced this kind of affection since… His memory failed him utterly as a large finger under his chin tilted his head up and two lips pressed gently upon his. He took a sharp breath through his nose, all senses heightened. This was… not unpleasant. The other pair of lips left his altogether too soon, and Nero leaned forward a little bit, trying to get them back, eliciting a slight chuckle from the other party.  
‘Would you be interested in exploring this romantic sense with me?’

The Warrior of Light was doing his very best not to get his hopes up, but he sensed something here, like a slight tingle at the back of his head, telling him he should just take a chance. It had been over a year since the man he’d loved had died. He had mourned him fiercely, but after everything that had happened since he’d become everyone’s vaunted Warrior of Light, he realised that time was precious and should not be wasted by being stuck in what had been, or what could have been, but should instead be spent on what is, what could still be. He licked his lips, waiting for Nero to respond. This beautiful, difficult, headstrong, slightly broken, incredibly attractive man; Argryss wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he wanted nothing more than to share everything with him, or at least to go down bloody trying to.

Nero, meanwhile, hand still placed upon his companion’s chest and fidgeting with the cloth cord coming out of his shirt, was unsure of how to proceed. Single and glad of it, he’d always thought. But single didn’t get you these above-average-intimate hugs, and definitely not these soft lips.  
‘Why me?’ Nero said quietly.  
‘Because you make me feel safe, Nero,’ came the unexpected answer. ‘And because I want to keep you safe in return. Because of your sharp intellect, your wit, your desire for progress. In short, because of what makes you Nero.’  
Argryss gave him a sly smile. ‘And also because you’re rather dashing, but I don’t want you to think I’m trying something purely for the sake of your looks.’  
Nero laughed, a slightly high-pitched, awkward, slightly stressful laugh. Clearly, the Warrior had lost his mind.  
‘What on earth makes you think I’m relationship material, eh?’ he said, looking away.  
‘I’m not sure if you are, if I’m honest, but I’ve been wondering the same thing about myself. I’d prefer if we figure out this conundrum together.’  
‘I cannot fathom why you’d think we should.’  
‘For one,’ Argryss said gently, ‘you’ve not wrested yourself from my embrace or slapped me, or something similarly dismissive. In fact, I’d argue you like it here in my arms.’

Nero huffed. The man had a lot of gal to say that. Was he wrong, though? The Garlean did a quick search of his feelings, but that ocean was vast and dark and he was afraid of it. Instinctively, he pressed in closer, pushing his head into the man’s chest, scared to look up and find love in his eyes. He did not deserve any of this. Why was he indulging this fantasy? What folly. Nero Scaeva did not do folly.

And yet, Nero Scaeva still did not move.

Argryss put his other arm around him again, holding Nero as tightly as he could without squeezing the life out of him.  
‘Nero, please don’t be scared. Whatever you say I’ll accept, and I will still be your friend. Sure, I would like for us to be more than that, but I’ll always be there for you regardless. Trust me.’

Argryss could feel his own pulse quickening while he was trying to calm down this bundle of Garlean nerves he so cherished.

‘I can barely trust myself, yet you would ask I trust you?’ came the muffled response. The Roegadyn could feel the warmth of the other man’s breath on his skin as he spoke.  
‘I would.’  
‘...I see.’

Nero felt the other man’s heartbeat. He was no chirurgeon but if that wasn't elevated as all seven hells, he'd eat his sunglasses. It was comforting to know that the Warrior was also charting a course through similarly rough seas. He let go of the cord and placed his hand over the man’s heart.  
‘Your heart’s going a malm a minute, Argryss. Are you sure this entire exercise is healthy?’  
The Roegadyn laughed, a deep, rumbling sound reverberating through the rest of his body.  
‘Perhaps not, but I’ll be damned if I don’t enjoy it.’  
Nero smiled. ‘If I-’

He’d almost said it, but words got stuck in his throat again as he looked at his friend. No, his hopefully more than friend.

‘If you…?’

Argryss needed to hear him say it. If Nero was strong enough to say it, he meant it.

‘If I…,’ Nero took a deep breath. ‘If I were to say yes to… the romantic sense… then what?’ Nero inwardly slapped himself. Then what? Was that really all he had? Perhaps at present it was. It would have to do.  
‘Then we figure things out as we go along. Also, there would definitely be more of this.’  
The Roegadyn gently lifted Nero’s chin until their eyes met, and kissed the Garlean again. This time, Nero responded, one hand snaking up through the embrace to touch the other man’s cheek while the other moved to his neck, all doubts temporarily pushed aside as he opened his mouth a little, sending out an invitation of his own. He could feel Argryss smile against his lips as he obliged, their tongues dancing around each other.

Perhaps he did deserve this. At the very least Nero would make a damned good effort to believe just that.


End file.
